Murder Defendant to Remain Detained Despite Concerns Over Jail Conditions

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A DC Superior Court judge denied a murder defendant’s emergency release request. 

Davon Patterson, 30, is accused of shooting 46-year-old Bryant McClain on the 800 block of Crittenden Street, NW, on June 8, 2019. 

Defense attorney Pierce Suen filed the motion on Nov. 3, citing the U.S. Marshals Service’s findings during an unannounced inspection of the DC jail. Patterson has been held there since his arrest in March 2020. 

In the bond review motion, Suen argues that the facility’s conditions violate Patterson’s due process rights. 

The prosecution filed their opposition to the motion on Nov. 12. Judge Milton Lee sided with the prosecution, denying the defense’s request during a Dec. 7 hearing. 

Patterson is indicted on charges of first-degree murder while armed, posessing a firearm during a crime of violence and unlawful posession of a firearm with a prior conviction. He is scheduled for a felony arraignment on Dec. 14.